My Thesis Write Up Final Print

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

High-tech architecture, also known as late modernism or structural

expressionism, is an architectural style that emerged in the late 1980s, this

style became a bridge between modernisms and post modernism

Architects of this style consider the technology a great achievement of

modernity and also

Consider it as the most important factor of development in the twentieth

century in their opinion the main characteristics of each era shaped

physically in the architecture of that period. Opinions and theories of

Modern architecture and high-tech are so close to each other in the main

principals and it can be said that the high-tech architecture is the Good

Replacement of modern architecture. But in shape there are some

differences between two styles In general it can be expression that the

simples which is in modern architecture is not seen in high-tech and if the

modern architectures display the machine their design, the high-tech

architecture display the inside of the machine and its components.

The main characteristic materials are metal and glass, which it

purports to adhere to a strict code of honesty of expression, that it usually

embodies ideas about industrial production, that it uses industries other

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than the building industry as sources both of technology and of imagery,

and that it puts a high priority on flexibility of use.

Therefore the high-tech architectural style deals with the incorporation

of elements of high-tech industry and technology into building design. It is

aimed at showing the technical elements of the building by externalizing

them, thereby creating the buildings aesthetic.

Advancement in transportation technology was a phenomenon of the

twentieth century. High speeds are characteristics of modern travel. The

consequences of these are increased travel opportunities, putting greater

demands on transport services and an impact on the built environment. The

challenge of transport architecture today is being able to adapt with rapidly

evolving technology. As such, there is need for improved transportation

services to conform to modern technological advancements.

Railway stations entered a new age again in the late 20th century after the

introduction of high-speed trains. As evident mostly in Europe, many new

stations were built, and the old ones were renovated to efficiently serve the

system. The revival of the stations was intended to create a continued

language in station architecture. Borrowing from the 19th century

architecture, the daring construction of very large spanned train sheds and

the use of new materials, such as lightweight steel and glass, become a

distinctive feature of 20th century railway architecture.

The architecture of the railway stations has gone beyond the design of main

functions, which include core, transition, peripheral, and administrative.

Depending on the needs of the station, the design of these spaces has to

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also include supplementary functions; for instance, integration of light and

structure, access for disabled people, and commercial development. It is

possible to also see them as an expression of modern technology reflected

in their daring structure and use of new materials.

1.2 Problem Statement

Initially different transportation modes were unconnected, but today the

trend is towards an integrated system. Many railway stations form an

interchange between modes of transportation that may include buses, air

services, metros, taxi, private cars, and so forth. The design is, therefore,

being applied to railway stations to reflect a new form of service. In addition

to serving intercity rail lines, the concept emphasizes linkages to other

transportation systems, the expansion of service across borders, and rail

networks linking cities and their suburbs. As a consequence, new forms of

station type are required.

The design of the station ought to meet barrier free requirements

throughout the facilities. Accessibility is also an issue that concerns

everyone. Ross (2000) envisions that disabled people using railway stations

are not only people in wheelchairs, but they include blind and partially

sighted people, deaf people and those with poor hearing, people with

learning disabilities, people with heavy luggage, people with young

children, and elderly people. Impediments to access should not be

considered only physically, but also psychologically.

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F or the modern train station more functions are integrated and the

numbers of passengers are increased. The Stations appear to be more than

people-processors, but can expedite peoples lifestyles. Similar to the

design of airport terminals, the trend of the station design is to take full

advantage of the time passengers wait around by providing facilities and

entertainment.

1.3 Aims And Objectives

This thesis aims at exploring high-tech architecture as a means of designing

a fully functional railway station for contemporary times.

The following objectives have been identified as a result.

i. Analyzing high-tech architecture as a means of expression

ii. Exploring contemporary trends in train station design.

iii. Creating an enabling environment for adequate circulation of both

passengers and goods.

iv. Examining a fundamental framework for resolving the

interrelationship between each of the station activities and the

means for minimizing conflicts and maximizing efficiency.

1.4 Motivation

The train is one of the most important and effective means of

transportation today with the train stations elegantly designed as a hub in

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districts, towns and cities. Consequently, the ingenuity and creativeness of

high-tech architecture is relatively missing in Nigerian architecture.

Therefore, this provides the motivation to use the inventive principles of

high-tech architecture in designing a contemporary railway station for

Kaduna state that will serve as a centre and a model for railway

development in Nigeria.

1.5 Justification

Kaduna state is a trade centre and a major transportation hub for the

surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction.

Moreover, there is a grand plan conceived and initiated by the late Umaru

Musa Yaraduas administration to revamp the transportation sector in

Nigeria. The design which started with the dredging of the River Niger,

rehabilitation and construction of roads, existing and standard railway lines,

rehabilitation and upgrading of equipments at the nations airports and the

construction of jetties and river ports along the dredged inland waterways

to ease transportation in the country.

The government designed the transformation of the transport sector in a

way that the existing railway lines will not only be rehabilitated, but

standard railway lines for electric trains will be constructed from Lagos to

Kano through Ibadan, Minna, Abuja, and Kaduna starting with Kaduna to

Abuja the contract which the late Yaradua administration awarded before

his demise.

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The administration also designed the linking of all the seaports, river ports

and airports with railway lines not only to expand and develop the transport

sector but also to relieve the roads of the present over burden of having to

account for about 90 percent of the domestic transportation.

1.6 Scope

This research work will study the relevance as well as the applicability of

high-tech architecture as a means of expression in contemporary design of

railway stations. Furthermore, the development design is limited to the

immediate station environment which includes; the station building for

passengers and workers with its supporting facilities, external spaces from

parking and loading/offloading bay to the platform areas.

1.7 Methodology Of Study

This research adopts a visual based approach to the study of dependent

and independent variables. Information will be retrieved using primary and

secondary sources.

The primary sources shall include:

i. Personal observation: this involves visiting the proposed site to

assessment and site analysis.

ii. Interviews: this involves consultations and discussions mostly

through questionnaires with people in relation to railways.

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iii. Case studies:This involves surveys of selected railway stations

to ascertain their merits and demerits so as to assist in solving

design related problems.

The secondary source includes:

Information related to railways from publications like textbooks,

journals, newspapers, magazines, and unpublished materials seminar

papers and past thesis works.

CHAPTER TWO

DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW OF THE RAILWAY

STATION

2.1 Definition of railway station

A railway station, also called a railroad station or train station and often

shortened to just station, is a railway facility where trains regularly stop to

load or unload passengers or freight. It generally consists of a platform next

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to the track and a station building (depot) providing related services such

as ticket sales and waiting rooms (Wikipedia.com, 2012). It can be

summarized as: a place where passenger trains stop on a railway line,

typically with platforms and buildings (oxford dictionary).

Dictionary of architecture and building construction summarized the

definition of railway station as an establishment with platforms and

associated buildings for a train to pick up and put down passengers.

2.2 Early Development of Railway station

According to Vicchio (1998), dating back to the 1630s, railways were

developed in Britain. This was introduced because of the urgent need for a

satisfactory means of moving coal overland in winter. The British were the

pioneers of the railway. According to Bagwell (1974) the British railway

system came into being through the efforts of the first generation of

engineers to meet the rapid need of the expanding mining and textile

industry. The need for a more efficient means of carrying coal from the

pithead to the water side station led to the development of specialized

tracks or railways.

Railway stations had no distinctive history until the Liverpool and

Manchester railway of 1830, with the opening of Manchester Liverpool Road

and Liverpool Crown Street: the light passenger traffic on the Stockton and

Darlington had run in a horse-drawn coach from inns. Both consisted of two-

storey classical town houses, controlling access to a departure platform, the

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Street station was the first to incorporate aTrain shed. The station was

demolished in 1836 as the Liverpool terminal station moved to Lime Street

railway station. The station was later converted to a Goods station terminal.

Plate 2.1; crown street station LiverpoolExternal view of the station building and train shed.Source: www.hows.org.uk

2.3 Advancements in Railway Station Design

The principal task of the railway was moving raw materials and

manufactured goods. The scale of the freight business found expression in

sheds and warehouses which were classic examples of the honest and

functional 19th century design. This expression was lost in the face of

changing approaches to freight handling. However, passenger stations have

inevitably provided the principal expression of railway architecture.

The first railway stations were made in the form of single platforms. But the

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generations that replaced them produced more complex and at times

rather extravagant structures. The great age of railway station design was

initiated in late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Significant influences appeared in the Beaux-Art style, which originated in

France. Examples include Grand Central Terminal in New York City, Main

Street Station in Richmond, Virginia, and Union Station in Washington, D.C.

After World War II, the continuous development of railways slowed

noticeably. Since rail passenger service in many places started to decline

due to the use of automobiles, the growth of bus transport, and the

convenience of air travel--railways were not competitive and many grand

stations deteriorated and even closed.

Plate 2.2; Grand central terminal, New York.External view of the station buildingSource: www.ominousweather.com/images

Railway stations entered a new age again in the late 20th century after the

introduction of high-speed trains. As evident mostly in Europe, many new

stations were built, and the old ones were renovated to efficiently serve the

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system. The revival of the stations was intended to create a continued

language in station architecture. Borrowing from the 19th century

architecture, the daring construction of very large spanned train sheds and

the use of new materials, such as lightweight steel and glass, become a

distinctive feature of 20th century railway architecture. Nicholas

Grimshaws Waterloo International Terminal in London is one of the great

new stations, which represents this new beginning. With a 1,300 foot-long

and a 53 foot-wide shed supported by bowstring-shaped steel trusses, it

clearly expresses the challenging work of bringing architecture and

engineering together.

Plate 2.3; Waterloo International Terminal, LondonThe exterior view of the train shed.Source: The Best in Leisure and Public Architecture,(p.150), 1993.

2.4 Contemporary Trends in Railway Station

Design

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Initially, different transportation modes were unconnected, but today the

trend is towards an integrated system. Many railway stations form an

interchange between modes of transportation that may include buses, air

services, metros, taxi, private cars, and so forth. The intermodal concept is,

therefore, being applied to railway stations to reflect a new form of service.

In addition to serving intercity rail lines, the concept emphasizes linkages to

other transportation systems, the expansion of service across borders, and

rail networks linking cities and their suburbs. As a consequence, new forms

of station type are required. International, airport, and metro or light rail

stations represent different types emerging as distinctive building patterns

for railway stations impacted by the intermodal concept (Kandee, 2001;

Edwards, 1997).

2.4.1 International Railway Stations

According to Binney (1995), this station type emerged in the past two

decades after the introduction of high-speed trains connecting countries in

Western Europe. The services of rail lines crossing countries borders

demanded particular facilities that differ from those of other stations. Many

facilities have been borrowed from airports and adaptively applied to

existing rail services. They include passport control, security checkpoints,

and the different levels of departure and arrival pattern. The Waterloo

International Terminal in London is an excellent example of this type of

station. It utilizes many of the characteristics and functions of airports and

provides different levels for departing and arriving passengers. The

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extraordinary structure of a 1,300 foot-long shed added to the old structure

and supported by steel trusses also strongly expresses the language of

airport architecture. Train tracks are on the third level. The floors below the

train shed are designed to handle 15 million passengers annually with

terminal services providing easy access to and from the concourse located

on the ground level

Plate2.4: Waterloo International Terminal, LondonCross section showing different levels of departure and arrival.

Source: Railway Stations: Planning, design and management, (p.252), 2000.

2.4.2 Airport Railway Stations

Linking airports to inner cities via rail lines is one convenient way for

passengers to access airports. This connection requires that railway

facilities are located at the airport. Therefore, such railway stations are

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constructed as additional parts of airport buildings and some facilities with

selected design elements adapted from the airport terminals to these

stations. Obviously, the space provided must be sufficient to meet the

needs of air-travel passengers who need extra facilities for baggage and

group tours. Signs in a variety of languages are also provided when

international travelers use the trains to airport connections.

Copenhagen Airport Station located in Kastrup, Denmark is a good example

of this station type. The triangular structure of Terminal 3 is added to the

airports main terminal, and the station is placed at the point of the triangle

to serve around 15% of passengers using the airport (S Kandee, 2001).

Although airport railway stations have been popular solutions in Europe and

Japan for decades, only recently have links been constructed in North

America and Oceania, and the rest of Asia. Advantages for the rider include

faster travel time and easy interconnection with other public transport,

while authorities have benefited from less highway and parking congestion,

less pollution, and additional business opportunities. Additionally, the links

benefit airports by drawing in more passengers via easy access.

2.4.3 Metro or Light Railway Stations

A metro station or subway station is a railway station for a rapid transit

system. It is often underground or elevated. According to Edwards (1997),

light rail refers to a transit system, which combines the vehicle technology

of trams and buses with the characteristics of steel rail engineering. It is

well adapted to cities and suburban needs, and also has the advantages of

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flexibility and less expensive installation and maintenance than a regional

rail system. A good example is the Bangkok Mass Transit System. It is a

street-based high-level light rail system that places most stations on a

double cantilever supported by a line of single columns. These attributes

also make such stations very suitable for linking rail services to airport.

Often, a metro station and an airport station may serve simultaneously as

the starting and destination points for the same rail service. This

necessitates the sharing of certain facilities. For example, baggage check-in

and security may be provided at the metro station rather than at the airport

station. The Chek Lap Kok Terminal, Hong Kong is a station that provides

those facilities supporting air travel. It gives direct access to the airport

terminal building for passengers arriving at or departing the airport by rail.

Plate2.5: Chek Lap Kok Airport Passenger Terminal, Hong KongThe Terminal has one of the worlds largest roof areas at

156,000 m Source: www.greatbuildings.com

Metro stations, more so than railway and bus stations, often have a

characteristic artistic design that can identify each stop. Some have

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sculptures or frescoes. For example, London's Baker Street station is

adorned with tiles depicting Sherlock Holmes. The tunnel for Paris'

Concorde station is decorated with tiles spelling the Dclaration des Droits

de l'Homme et du Citoyen. Every metro station in Valencia, Spain has a

different sculpture on the ticket-hall level. Each station of the Red Line and

Purple Line subway in Los Angeles was built with different artwork and

decorating schemes, such as murals, tile artwork and sculptural benches.

This is not always the case; however, Sir Norman Foster's new system in

Bilbao, Spain uses the same modern architecture at every station to make

navigation easier for the passenger, though some may argue that this is at

the expense of character. In some stations, especially

where trains are fully automated, the entire platform is screened from the

track by a wall, typically of glass, with automatic platform-edge doors.

These open, like elevator doors, only when a train is stopped, and thus

eliminate the hazard that a passenger will accidentally fall (or deliberately

jump) onto the tracks and be run over or electrocuted. Control over

ventilation of the platform is also improved, allowing it to be heated or

cooled without having to do the same for the tunnels. The doors add cost

and complexity to the system, and trains may have to approach the station

more slowly so they can stop in accurate alignment with them

(http://en.wikipedia.org, 2012).

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2.5 The Nigerian Railway System

Nigeria was the first country in Africa to have a well thought through and

funded railway system. After years of neglect and decay, passenger

services have all but ceased across major tracks. In 1895 the Lagos railway

line began its march from Iddo to Ibadan, and was opened six years later on

March 4, 1901. The first locomotives consisted of three locomotives

manufactured by the Hunslet Engine Co. Ltd., of Leeds. The original line ran

north-west along the waterfront, from a point near Government House and

the European residential area around the Race course, to Customs Wharf,

where it turned north-east towards Ereko Market and Idumota. After the

commencement of a 2ft. 6in.-gauge line over Carter Bridge in 1901, the

Lagos Steam Tramway was opened in May 23, 1902.

2.5.1 Brief history of the Nigerian railway system

The Nigerian Railway system officially came into existence in October, 1912

when Frederick Lugard merged the pre-existing Lagos government railway

and the Baro-Kano railway to become the 'Nigerian Railway'. The merger

further enhanced the desirability of merging the Northern and Southern

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Kaduna River was Wushishi. A start was made to construct a tramway in

May 1901, for a distance of 12 miles to connect the two places, and this

was finished in December of the same year. It was then decided that the

river facilities downstream at Bari-Juko were better, so a further ten miles

were added in 1902. The total cost was 31,500. The line carried the

building material and stores for the new headquarters for a total of nine

years. It is assumed that the tramway followed the course of the west bank

of the Kaduna River. The Baro-Kano Railway was completed in 1910 and

linked to the Lagos Railway at Minna: as this line passed through Zungeru,

a better route was provided. The Wushishi Tramway being no longer

required, the track was lifted and sent to Zaria and used again on the

construction of the Bauchi Light Railway, between Zaria and Bukuru. The

two locomotives and the rolling stock were also sent to Zaria. No precise

dates of closure are known, but the opening dates of the Baro-Kano and

Lagos Government railway sections in the area give some indication when

the tramway ceased working. Of the former, the Baro-Minna section was

opened on April 1, 1910, and Minna to Zaria on April 1, 1911, while the

Jebba-Minna portion of the Lagos Government Railway was officially opened

on January 1, 1912.

The first section of the Bauchi Light Railway, between Zaria and Rahama,

was opened on April 1, 1912, and the two ushishi Tramway locomotives

were included in the stock of the Bauchi Light Railway in the return to the

Government dated December 31, 1911. The Bauchi Light Railway

was authorised on January 21, 1911, and construction commenced almost

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immediately. The first section from Zaria to Rahama (86 miles) was opened

on April 1, 1912. Further sections opened were Rahama to Jengre (15 miles)

on July 7, 1913, Jengre to Jos (32 miles) on July 6, 1914, and finally Jos to

Bukuru (10 miles) on December 10, 1914. Jos and Bukuru are 4000 ft. and

4,500 ft. above sea level, and are in an important tin mining area. The

railway was the only means of communication at that time. The section

between Jos and Bukuru was converted to 3 ft. 6 in gauge during 1926-27,

when the branch line from Kafanchan to Jos, on the Nigerian Eastern

Railway Extension, was constructed. The last passenger train from Jos to

Zaria ran on September 30, 1957, thus ending a 35-year service. The

discovery of coal at Enugu and the opening of the Jos-Kafanchan-Makurdi-

Enugu-Port Harcourt line really precipitated the decline of the Bauchi Light

Railway as a paying concern.The Lagos Sanitary Tramway was built in 1906

to make possible the more efficient disposal of the sewage. The line ran

from Dejection Jetty, south of the Five Cowrie Creek Bridge, northwards over

this bridge and along Marina to a junction with the Lagos Steam Tramway,

at Ereko Street Market. In 1907 the locomotive named Kokomaiko was put

into service but, because of its weight, was not allowed to work over the

Carter Bridge and Five Cowrie Creek Bridge.The loaded trucks were

therefore pushed over the Five Cowrie Creek Bridge to Dejection Jetty by

prison labour, which at the time was employed in the disposal of night soil.

Railway in Nigeria still maintains a predominantly North-South orientation

which makes a Port Harcourt bound rail commuter from Lagos traverse

1,820km as compared with only about 500km as the crow flies. In urban

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centres which are rail linked, trains merely run through, stopping only once

within the city, apart from Lagos and Port Harcourt where very limited rail

commuter services are provided. As of today, the Railway system is made

up of 3505 route kilometers of narrow gauge (1067 mm) track, 30km of

which is in double track while the rest is in single track. In addition to the

foregoing is the 19km 1067mm gauge extension from Port Harcourt to

Onne deep-sea port and the 277km standard gauge rail construction

(1435mm) from Ajaokuta and Warri (Okanlawon, K. R., 2006).

Today the picture is as follows: Hadejia, Kano, Gusau, Minna, Ilorin,

Oshogbo, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ikeja are linked by railways from south west

up North while Maiduguri, Gombe, Bauchi, Jos, Lafia, Makurdi, Enugu,

Umuahia, Port-Harcourt are linked by the Railways from south east up

north. But the following state capitals are not connected by the railways:

Calabar, Uyo, Yenagoa, Benin, Asaba, Akure, Ado-Ekiti, Owerri, Abakaliki,

Lokoja, Birnin Kebbi, Sokoto, Jalingo, Yola, Damaturu and Awka. Only two

seaports (Apapa and Port Harcourt) are served by the railways while none

of the airports is connected to the railways. Only 19 out of the 36 states

are served by the railway while the Federal Capital is yet to be connected

by the Railways (Edward, 2001).

The operational performance of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) for the

period 1970-2004 is presented in Table 1 below.

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Table 1: Volume of Passengers and Freight carried by NRC (1970-2004)

Source: Nigerian Railway Corporation (2003-2005)

As can be seen from the Table 1 above, over the years, the railway traffic

has been declining losing its patronage to highly competitive road and air

transportation modes. In the last thirty-five years, the highest number of

passengers carried was 15.55 million in 1984 and the highest volume of

freight was 2.37 million metric tonnes in 1977. The traffic has fallen even

much more plummeting to less than 2 million passengers and less than

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Passenger Revenue Freight Revenue Total Revenue

carried N Tonnage N (Pass+Freight)

1970 8,942,000 4,676,000 1,311,000 18,438,000 23,114,000

1971 6,151,000 6,296,000 1,311,000 15,680,000 21,976,000

1972 5,819,000 7,447,000 1,519,000 17,095,000 24,542,000

1973 5,131,000 6,906,000 2,129,000 18,025,000 24,931,000

1974 4,342,000 6,067,000 1,098,000 12,205,000 18,272,000

1975 6,755,000 11,003,000 1,612,000 14,724,000 25,727,000

1976 7,491,000 10,004,000 1,452,000 16,772,000 26,726,000

1977 6,747,000 10,822,000 2,375,000 17,172,000 27,994,000

1978 6,750,000 12,982,000 1,592,000 16,251,000 29,233,0001979 6,771,000 18,716,000 1,543,000 21,861,000 40,577,000

1980 4,917,000 17,290,000 1,153,000 23,313,000 40,603,000

1981 9,638,000 26,623,000 1,932,000 45,090,000 71,713,000

1982 11,612,000 28,288,000 2,185,000 49,021,000 77,309,000

1983 13,142,000 29,877,000 1,619,000 36,499,000 66,376,000

1984 15,553,000 33,147,000 1,458,000 33,335,000 66,482,000

1985 11,324,000 36,205,000 1,182,000 34,247,000 70,452,000

1986 9,878,000 39,059,000 852,000 26,335,000 65,394,000

1987 7,383,000 35,750,000 353,000 15,632,000 51,382,000

1988 4,196,000 25,117,000 326,000 13,206,000 38,323,000

1989 6,520,000 24,318,000 202,000 18,155,000 42,473,000

1990 6,345,000 31,403,000 198,000 35,911,000 67,314,000

1991 3,443,000 19,300,000 237,000 64,400,000 83,700,000

1992 1,747,000 17,013,000 204,000 49,732,000 66,745,000

1993 1,502,000 14,627,000 106,000 25,841,000 40,468,0001994 784,491 36,809,884 106,000 121,911,902 158,712,786

1995 2,889,977 56,144,354 107,878 133,911,902 190,026,256

1996 2,626,026 112,907,824 137,661 161,348,796 274,256,624

1997 2,946,940 126,456,928 535,000 219,175,125 435,632,053

1998 1,070,424 74,457,194 1,513,077 438,779,607 513,236,801

1999 1,788,171 88,882,085 737,239 404,346,982 493,229,067

2000 2,610,435 142,920,540 116,837 155,865,908 298,786,448

2001 1,284,022 110,456,518 132,813 165,256,201 275,712,719

2002 942,594 62,977,167 98,192 132,907,397 195,884,564

2003 1,608,447 103,853,378 56,178 101,088,080 206,606,083

2004 1,751,159 206,772,909 62,575 112,480,539 319,253,448

Year


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200,000 metric tonnes of freight in 2001. In 2004, 1,751,159 passengers

were moved while 62,575tonnes of goods were hauled (Okanlawon, 2006).

Fig. 1: NRC Passenger and Freight Traffic (1970-2004)

2.5.3 Relevance of railway development in Nigeria

Nwanze (2002), emphasized that a virile railway system plays a significant role in

the sectorial development and overall growth of any economy. It opens up regions,

hinterlands and rural areas by facilitating agricultural development as well as

facilitates the growth of cottage/large scale industries. It also attracts residential,

commercial, educational and recreational settlements and developments around

its corridor. It is in this context that rail transport mode should be seen as the

mainframe or pivot around which an integrated national transport system should

be built with other modes complementing. Its capacity which is further

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accentuated by its safety and security factors as well as its ability to travel longer

distance, with ease and lower unit costs, places it in good stead to serve as the

hubof a transport system of a nation.

The traditional function of rail has been two-fold, namely: the economic carriage

by land of bulky commodities and the relative rapid movement of large numbers of

people and goods. This carriage has been done over medium to long distances.

Railways contemporary advantage today revolves around the provision of inter-

urban passenger travel and freight movement. This has been facilitated by the

inherent characteristics of rail transport and various technological advancements.

In terms of inter-city travels, railways can now compete favourably even with air

transport in journey of around 400 kilometers. While air transport has less elapsed

travelling time, it still has to overcome problems of access to and from airports

and of the wasted time spent at the terminal. Road transport by the private car is

usually rails main competitor but railways are able to achieve higher speeds and

also easier access into the heart of cities (Filani, 2004).

According to Oyesiku (2004), revitalization of the rail system for mass

transportation of city residents is perhaps the most important strategy for

sustainable urban transportation development in Nigeria. Modernization of

the existing network towards meeting the basic intra-city travel needs of

the people is imperative. The type of system envisaged is that of the light

rail, which the present nations economy can easily support. In the long run

the fast metro-rail system is most inevitable particularly in the large

metropolitan cities of the country.

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CHAPTER THREE

DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW OF HIGH-TECH

ARCHITECTURE

2.1 Definition of High-Tech Architecture

High tech architecture or Late Modernism is an architectural style

that emerged in the 1970s, incorporating elements of high-tech industry

and technology into building design. High-tech architecture appeared as a

revamped modernism, an extension of those previous ideas aided by even

more advances in technological achievements. This category serves as a

bridge between modernism and post modernism; however there remain

gray areas as to where one category ends and the other begins.

(Http://wikipedia.com).

High-Tech is an architectural style originating from England in the 1970s

and 1980s, characterized by use of modern technology in design solutions

and in the outward mechanistic expression of buildings (dictionary of

architecture and building construction).

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Colin Davis, who has made one of the most comprehensive survey of High

Tech architecture, defines it as: Its characteristic materials are metal and

glass, it purports to adhere to a strict code of honesty of expression, it

usually embodies ideas about industrial production, it uses industries other

than the building industry as sources both for technology and imagery, and

it puts a high priority on the flexibility of use. (Davis, 1988,).

High-tech architecture aimed to achieve a new industrial aesthetic, spurred

on by the renewed faith in the progression of technology. The

characteristics have varied somewhat, yet all have accentuated technical

elements. They included the prominent display of the buildings technical

and functional components, and an orderly arrangement and user of

prefabricated elements. Glass walls and steel frames were also immensely

popular.

High Tech is an avant-garde, optimistic architecture that believes in

progress through industrial technology. It believes in invention rather than

tradition, in temporary arrangements rather than permanent institutions,

and in the ability to control the environment rather than adapting to it. High

Tech buildings imply a revolutionary, rather than a traditional, view of the

city. If a complete High Tech city were ever to be built it would be an

abstract, fully serviced matrix or mega structure, flexible and demountable,

like the utopian urban visions of the 1960s: Peter Cook's Plug-in City, Yona

Friedman's Ville Spatiale", or the indeterminate city structures envisaged

by the Japanese Metabolists. In these theoretical projects, as in their built

High Tech counterparts, structure, access, services and equipment are

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more important than space and place, whether internal or external, private

or public.

2.1 BRIEF HISTORY OF HIGH-TECH ARCHITECTURE

Even though high-tech architecture is believed to have started between the

1970s and the 1980s, according to Colin Davies (1988), its history dates

back over 200 years to the construction of the first cast iron bridge over the

River Severn at Coalbrookdale. This is an all-metal prefabricated structure,

completely honest in its use of materials and structural forms, but designed

as much for elegance as for practicality. Davies (1988), believes that in the

long term, this must be the favourite candidate for the title "first High Tech

structure". This may seem like far too remote a source for an architectural

style born in the 1960s, but the bridge is still standing and we should not

underestimate the influence of eighteenth-century and nineteenth-century

engineering structures on British architects. Decimus Burton's Palm House

at Kew Gardens of 1848, the long-span iron, steel and glass roofs over the

great railway termini built throughout the second half of the nineteenth

century, Eiffel's tower and Contamin and Dutert's Galerie des Machines built

for the Paris Exhibition of 1889, and of course Paxton's legendary Crystal

Palace built for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Structures such as these are

enduring influences on today's High Tech architects. They represent an

alternative mode of building, based on industrial technology rather than

architectural tradition. High Tech architecture shares their confidence and

optimism and also, to a large extent, their relatively primitive technology.

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Another significant theme in the history of high-tech architecture is the

Sant' Elia's Citta Nuova, exhibited in 1914. This according to Colin Davies

(1988), is among the earliest depictions of an architecture that glorifies the

technology of concrete, steel, and glass, and which gives dramatic external

expression to lift towers, girder bridges, and elevated walkways. The

similarities to the more sculpturesque examples of the High Tech style,

especially the work of Richard Rogers, are striking. "We no longer believe in

the monumental, the heavy and static, and have enriched our sensibilities

with a taste for lightness, transience and practicality," wrote Sant' Elia in

the catalogue to the Citta Nuova exhibition. "We must invent and rebuild ex

novo our modern city like an immense and tumultuous shipyard, active,

mobile and everywhere dynamic, and the modern building like a gigantic

machine. Lifts must not longer hideaway like solitary worms in the

stairwells, but must swarm up the facades like serpents of glass and iron.

The Maison de Verre in Paris which completed in 1932 is another notable

influence in the history of high tech architecture. This building is a curious

assemblage of mass-produced, machine-like components with a flexible

plan and an external wall made entirely of glass lenses. Richard Rogers,

who is one of the most influential advocates of high-tech visited this

building in 1959, and later acknowledges it has had the most influence on

his architecture.

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